Association des Femmes Ingénieurs du Mali (AFIMA) also known as the Association of Women Engineers of Mali works with the KoZon Foundation in promoting solar cooking. Salimata Fofana is the President of AFIMA.

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News and recent developments

October 2011: AFIMA reports that they have taught solar cooking to over 4000 people, and distributed over 3000 solar cookers since they began promoting solar cooking in 2003.

October 2011: In Mali, 90% of the energy needs for cooking are still met with firewood. Surveys have shown that cooking consumes 1.35 kg of wood per person per day. To address this situation, the Association project has been expanded to teach the Integrated Cooking Method, which incorporates solar cooking with the use of an efficient wood stove and fireless cookers. The project has been carried out in three villages in the municipality of Dioro: Babougou, Koila Bamanan, and Dioro village, as well as two villages in the municipality of Farakou Massa: Komine and Soke. The goal of the project was to teach 500 women the Integrated Cooking Method, and currently, it has reached 80% of that goal. Read more at: Project: Promotion de la Cuisson Solaire Integree Dans la Region de Segou, Mali

Mariam Toure proudly serves samples of her solar meal.

December 2009:Kyoto Twist Solar Cooking Society is working with KoZon Foundation and Association of Women Engineers (AFIMA) to introduce solar cookers in the Yirimadio neighborhood of Bamako, Mali. In 2009, 30 families paid a small fee (US $3) for two CooKit solar cookers that were made by AFIMA, one cooking pot, one large insulated basket (Nafa Saba) for heat-retention cooking, and a Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI). The cooking kits are subsidized by Kyoto Twist donors. AFIMA women selected project participants based on desire to learn a new method of cooking, enthusiasm for reducing use of charcoal cooking fuel, and willingness to attend meetings. The Women Engineers collected data on the use of charcoal before and during the project, and will follow up after a year to assess overall charcoal use and savings. They receive a wage for their work interviewing and selecting the participants, training, and holding support sessions. KoZon Foundation assisted with project planning and data collection. Kyoto Twist estimates that the project will: reduce charcoal use by 30% (360 kilograms per family per year); save each family about US $80 annually; and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3.2 tonnes per family per year. The project cost about US $4600 in 2009.

March 2008: The Association of Handicapped Women of Mali (AMAFH) continues to arrange solar cooker training for its members in Bamako, with organizational support from the Association of Women Engineers (AFIMA) and financial assistance from Dutch KoZon Foundation. In 2006, AMAFH taught 60 deaf and hard-of-hearing women how to use a CooKit solar cooker during a 2-day training. In a follow-up visit months later, at a school for deaf children, the women cooked a delicious solar feast. Fifty women with leprosy were trained in early 2007. With the loss of nerve sensation caused by the disease, traditional open fire cooking can be dangerous for these women because they can unknowingly get burned. Another benefit is that the women have increased status in the community because they now know something that most don’t: how to cook food with the sun. They said that with the CooKit they can prepare special recipes for their husbands, prepare groundnuts for their children, and even sell solar-cooked meat in the market. One remarkable woman, Mariam Toure, has lost all but one finger. Yet, she already has plans to lead a training early this year for another group of women with the disease. AMAFH also led a 2-day solar cooking workshop for 20 mentally disabled women in late 2007, which was well received. Source: Wietske Jongbloed